Do This: Localvore Dinner at StarGrazer Café

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Aug 18, 2010 6:20PM

Jim Javenkoski has graced this corner of the internet before in his former roles as "Culinary Attaché" for Unibroue and "Ale-vangelist" for Arcadia ales. The holder of a PhD. in food science, Javenkoski has since turned his attention to the localvore and sustainability movements, producing dinners that showcase the bounty and environmental benefits of local farms.

Javenkoski has a dinner planned for Friday at StarGrazer Café in suburban Grayslake. The restaurant is part of Prairie Crossing, a planned Conservation Community that combines preservation of open land, responsible development practices and easy commuting by rail that's become a model for developing similar communities across the country. With a farm located in the development community, Prairie Crossing is also on the verge of becoming a peri-urban food hub for the community.

StarGrazer Café owner/chef Tim Kuck (pronounced "cook") has put together a five-course dinner (view it here in PDF format) with beer pairings provided by Libertyville's Mickey Finn's Brewery. Kuck will be using some of the beers as an ingredient in the dishes. Javenkoski, Kuck and Mickey Finn's brewmaster Greg Browne will also speak about the localvore movement, where some of the food for the dinner was sourced, and advocate for consumer participation in the local food system.

The cost of the dinner is an all-inclusive $75. Tickets can be purchased until 5 p.m. tomorrow by clicking here.

StarGrazer Café is located at 970 Harris Rd, Grayslake. The dinner starts at 6 p.m. and is accessible by Metra.